BOSTON — The Red Sox are hoping to spend their way out of the AL East cellar with two big free agent signings.
The first team in major league history to go from worst to first and back again has agreed to terms with third baseman Pablo Sandoval, his agent confirmed Monday night. According to a baseball official with knowledge of the deal, Boston also agreed to a deal with Hanley Ramirez, who came up to the major leagues with the Red Sox.
The official confirmed both agreements on the condition of anonymity because the players hadn’t passed physicals. The Ramirez deal is expected to be finalized Tuesday.
The moves give the Red Sox a potent batting order that includes two of the last three World Series MVPs, Sandoval and David Ortiz. But they still have to replace the four starting pitchers they traded last summer.
Sandoval, 28, is a career .294 hitter who had 16 homers and 73 RBIs in the regular season this year and then hit .366 in the postseason while helping the Giants win their third World Series in five years.
Ramirez came up in the Red Sox system and was still a prospect when he was traded to the Florida Marlins in the deal that brought Josh Beckett and future World Series MVP Mike Lowell to Boston. The 30-year-old shortstop batted .300 with 13 homers and 71 RBIs for Los Angeles this year.
Giants set postseason shares record
NEW YORK — A full postseason share for the World Series champion Giants was worth a record $388,606, topping the previous mark of $370,873 set by San Francisco two years ago.
San Francisco’s total was up from $307,323 for the Boston Red Sox last year. The players’ pool of $62 million was down from $62.7 million last year and a record $65.4 million in 2012.
The Giants split $22.3 million into 47 full shares, partial shares equivalent to another 9.65 and 17 cash awards, the commissioner’s office said Monday.
A full share on the AL champion Kansas City Royals was worth $230,700, up from $228,300 for St. Louis last year and down from $284,275 for 2012 AL champion Detroit.
Full shares were worth $125,288 for Baltimore, $115,481 for St. Louis, $31,544 for Detroit, $31,543 for the Los Angeles Dodgers, $29,845 for the Los Angeles Angels, $29,418 for Washington, $16,556 for Pittsburgh and $15,266 for Oakland.
Source: Seager, M’s agree on $100M, 7-year deal
SEATTLE — A person with knowledge of the deal says the Seattle Mariners and All-Star third baseman Kyle Seager have agreed to a $100 million, seven-year contract.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on Monday on the condition of anonymity because the deal is pending a physical.
Seager is coming off his first All-Star game selection and his first Gold Glove. The 27-year-old hit .268 with a career-high 25 homers and 96 RBIs.
Johnson, Martinez, Smoltz on Hall of Fame ballot
NEW YORK — Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz are among 17 newcomers on baseball’s 2015 Hall of Fame ballot.
Craig Biggio, who fell two votes short of the 75 percent needed in the 2014 balloting, tops 17 holdovers on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot announced Monday. That group includes Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mike Piazza, Jeff Bagwell and Tim Raines.
By wire sources